Outboard motor



F. T. IRGENS oUTBoARD MOTOR Auna 11, 1931.

Filed March 14, 1931 gru/vento@ Patented Aug. 11, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .FINNY'L IRG-ENS', 0F WAUWATOSA., WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO OUTBOARD MOTORS COR- IORATION, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN OUTBOARD MOTOR Application nien Maren 14, 1931. serial 1ra-522,747.

This invention relates to improvements in outboard motors.

It is the object of the invention to provide a novel and improved joint between the coinponent parts of foldable outboard motors of the type shown in United States Letters Patent numbered 1,790,856, issued upon the application of Ole Evinrude on February 3rd, 1931. More specifically stated'it is my purpose to improve the water connections and to rovide seals therein for the water supply and return lines connecting the engine water jacket with the points o water inlet .and exhaust.

In previously designed foldable motors leakage at the joint has been relatively unimortant because of the type of water circulating means employed and the disposition thereof, usually at the joint. In the device to which this invention relates, suction in the discharge conduit is developed by centrifugal force actin-g on Water contained in extensions of said conduit through the propeller blades and in order that this suction may be effective to elevate water to the jacket it is necessary to take exceptional precautions in rendering the supply and return lines leak proof, particularly where they are interrupted at the hinged joint between the upper and lower units of the motor.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section through a device embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a section taken in the plane indicated at 2--2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line indicated at 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure4 is a section taken on the plane indicated at 4-4 in Figure 3.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In accordance with the teachings of Patent Number 1,790,856 aforesaid and application Serial No. 399,128, filed October 12, 1929, by

Finn T. Irgens, the lower unit 5 is connected by hinge pintle 6 with shaft housing 7 of the upper unit. The power head is omitted except for crank shaft 8. The usual boat bracket 9 carries a bearing member 10 in which shaft housing 7 has a turning movement of which the lower unit partakes. Rubber cushions may be inserted lat 11, lif desired, to resist the turning movement of the shaft housing and thereby to maintain the motor 1n any given position for steering a predetermined course.

Shaft housing and the lower unit 5 has a drive. shaft section 16. The two sections are provided with detachable coupling members 17 and 18 respectively which are clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 4. These coupling members are freely separable when the lower unit is folded about pintle 6 upon the shaft housing but the'shaft sect-ions are normally maintained in alignment by clamping bolts 19 and nuts 20, the former being pivoted between ears 21 of the lower unit and the nuts being releasably engageable with abutments 22 of the shaft housing. The several'abutments and the ears therebeneath are adapted for registry and for contact in the normal aligned position of the parts to provide rigid- .ity for the structure.

The terminal fitting 25 at the lower end of shaft housing 7 carries water supply pipe 26 and return pipe 27. The former is coupled to a bore 28 extending directly through the fitting 25 while the return pipe 27 leads into a chamber at 29,1bored out within fitting 25 and extending about the bushing 30 in which coupling member 17 is journaled. At the front side of the fitting 25 chamber 29 communicates with a short section of pipe 31, fixed in a rubber sleeve 32 which is s ool shaped and extends through fitting 25 rom chamber 29 to the lower face of the fitting.

The upper face of lower unit 5 is carefully machined to fit tightly against the lower face of fitting 25. It 1s provided with two openings registering with bore 28 and pipe 31 respectively. In one of these openings is a rubber sleeve 33 corresponding to that shown at 32 and likewise preferably lined with a metal bushing or short length of pipe 34. Enough material is used in the rubber sleeves 32 and 33 so that their terminal portions are maintained slightly under. compression in the position of the parts illustrated in Fignres 1 and 3, thus insuring leak proof con- 7 has a drive shaft section4 conduits in their resprective units.

The lower unit 5 is hollow above its gear casing partition and is provided at 36 with water inlet ports leading to its interior chamber 37. This chamber communicates directly through the rubber sleeve 33 with bore 28 and the supply pipe 26 leading to the Water jacket of the engine. The water outlet pipe 26 communicates through chamber 29 in the shaft housing fitting 25 and through rubber sleeve 32 with a pipe 38 which may be cast into the lower unit 5 and extends through chamber 37 to compartment 39 immediately ahead of the gear casing. At once it passes through the interior of' a tubular propeller shaft 40 to radial passages 41 and is exhausted through openings 42 in the blades of propeller 43. The propeller and propeller shaft are driven in the usual way through beveled gearing in drive shaft section 16.

Special precautions are taken to prevent the exposure of any bearings to foreign matter carried by the circulating Water. Bushing 30 is provided at its lower end with a flange 45 seated in a counter-bore of shaft housing fitting 25. The coupling member 17 has a complementary flange and the assembly of the parts within the upper unit is maintained by the ring 46, which is spaced suinciently far from the opening of the counterbore to permit of the reception into the counter-bore of an interlocking sleeve 47 carried by the lower unit.

Water is preferably prevented from access to shaft section 16 and the bearings thereof by a sleeve at 48 enclosing the portion of the shaft section which passes through water chamber 37 of the lower housing.

The arrangement described is such that notwithstanding the fact that the centrifugal water circulating means is located wholly below the hinged joint and operates on the outlet side of the water circulating system, a tight seal is nevertheless provided for both sides of the system at the hinged joint and Water circulation is successfully maintained under all conditions of operation.

I claim:

1. In an outboard motor the combination with hingedly connected upper and lower units having registering water conduits, of annular cushion means compressed in the aligned position of said units and adapted to seal the joint between said conduits.

2. In an outboard motor the combination with hingedly connected upper and lower units, each of which contains a water conduit, of a. resiliently compressible annular seal carried by one of said units and engageable with the face of the other, the opening through said seal comprising a portion of one of said conduits and registering with the other the conduit portions of the respective unit.

3. In an outboard motor the combination with hingedly connected upper and lower units each having a pair of conduits and portions adapted for engagement in the aligned position of said units, of a rubber cushion carried by one of said units through which one of said conduits extends 1n registry with a conduit in the other unit when said portions are engaged, and a cushion carried by said other unit through which the other conduit therein extends in registry with the other conduit of the first mentioned unit when said portions are engaged.

4. In an outboard'motor the combination` with hingedly connected upper and lower units having portions engageable when said units are aligned and provided with a plurality of conduits positioned for communication between the respective units in the aligned position thereof, of a rubber seal carried by one of said units for one of said conduits and a second rubber seal carried by the other of said units for the other of said conduits, each of said seals bein adapted to surround the joint between portlons of its respective conduit in the aligned position of said units.

5. In an outboard motor the combination with a lower unit having a water inlet chamber, a water outlet chamber and water circulating means, of an upper unit hingedly connected with the lower' unit, means normally connecting said units in alignment, supply and return conduits including portions communicatin through the hinged parts of said units 1n the aligned position thereof and means for sealing the joints between the respective conduits.

6. In an outboard motor the combination with an upper unit having a chambered terminal fitting and a driving shaft section extending therethrough and a duct extending therethrough independently of said chamber, of a lower unit hingedly connected with the upper unit and provided with va drive shaft section and adapted for detachable coupling with the drive shaft section of the upper unit, openings in the lower unit at each side of its drive shaft section communicating respectively with said chamber and said du'ct, water supply and discharge connections for the openings in the lower units, and means for sealing the respective joints between said openings, said chamber and said duct.

7. In an outboard motor the combination with a pair of hingedly related parts having registerable openings, of an annular rubber cushion engageable between said parts in one of said openings.

8. In an outboard motor the combination with a pair hingedly related parts having registerable openings, of an annular rubber cushion engagcable between said parts in one of said openings, said cushion being provided with an internal supporting bushing.

9. In an outboard motor the combination with a terminal fitting of an upper unit, said ittin havin a bore, a water chamber surroun ing sai bore and a counter-bore below said chamber, of a bushing in said bore spanl nin said chamber and headed in said counterore, a fianged member rotatable in said bushing and a kee er in said counter-bore for retaining said ange and bushing in assembly therewith.

10. In an outboard motor the combination with hingedly connected upper and lower units having abutting faces and` registering apertures in said faces, of a sleeve extension of one unit into the aperture ofthe other, and a compressible bushing engaged in an aperture of one of said umts and compressed by the other unit whereby to seal the communication between said apertures.

- FINN T. IRGEN-S. 

